REGINA – Mobile Crisis Services workers say they need more support during the daytime.
About a dozen people were protesting outside the Mobile Crisis Services Centre on Wednesday. They called for increased staffing between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The information picket was not a strike. However that option is still on the table.
The union says there’s only one crisis worker scheduled for the daytime shift, leading to worker exhaustion, safety concerns and some delays in providing service.
“The solution is so simple, I can’t believe we’re actually having to be out here,” SGEU president Bob Bymeon said.
“I can’t believe an executive director can’t look at that and say we need two people scheduled during the day and for the life of me, I can’t understand why this hasn’t been resolved.”
Bronwyn Wyatt has been a crisis worker for 19 years.
She said stress levels for crisis workers are already pretty high.
“We talk to people who are suicidal, we deal with extreme situations in emergency child protection issues. We’re dealing with some volatile clients,” Wyatt explained.
“But add on that we don’t have enough staff present and we’re feeling like we can’t keep up, and we’re hurrying through calls and we’re feeling like we can’t give the best service. We’re all pretty high stress right now”.
The union says negotiations are at a stalemate as of Wednesday.
Both the province and Mobile Crisis Services declined to comment.
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